The Urbana SoftwareTM

PerTest® Tutor

The
PerTest® Tutor consists of a suite of client applications (Desktop,
Web, and PDA) that interact with the PerTest® Engine providing
end-users with assessments, diagnostics, and personalized remedial
learning paths. The PerTest® Tutor is built around Urbana Software's
PerTest® Browser Library which customers can use to build the PerTest®
Tutor into their own platform.

The PerTest® Tutor desktop application (shown here) can be installed
on user or classroom desktops including Windows (95, 98, 2000,
and XP), MacOS 9, MacOS X, Linux, and other Unix operating systems.
Additionally it can be run from a web page using Java Webstart
technology.

The PerTest® Tutor desktop application supports:

InstallAnywhere to allow installation and automatic updates of the PerTest® Tutor on all supported platforms

Offline testing: allowing a user to download the test and take it while disconnected from the PerTest® Engine. The Test can then later be submitted for scoring, diagnostics, and remediation once the user is again connected.

Encryption: all network traffic uses XML/SOAP over HTTPS to ensure secure connectivity and all offline tests use the Java Encryption API to prevent users from previewing their downloaded tests

Taking the Test

Using Urbana's Test Journaling technology allows the PerTest® Tutor to capture every action a user takes while taking the test. This allows not only subject matter, timing, and distractor analysis
but also complex behavioural analysis to take place in the PerTest Engine.

For example if a user regularly selects the correct answer first
and then upon revisiting the item changes their answer, if the
Engine has the "hunch analysis" enabled, it can determine if a
user is regularly undermining themselves by second guessing.

Scoring the Test

Personalized Remediation

Personalized remediation provides the study plan to help the user
most effectively work on areas of subject matter, strategy, or
test wiseness. Forms of remediation include: